Supernatural: Avengers Assist
by Seralina
Summary: AU from SPN 13x21. Just as Sam, Gabriel, Castiel, and Dean go through the glowing red crack in the universe, they come out not where they expected. How will the Avengers help them get where they need to go, while also trying to defeat Ultron? (A FicFacer 2019 Bid Winner Piece)
1. Face to Face

_**A/N:**_**_This is a story I never expected to write. This is a story about where everyone thinks they're being punked. This is a story, where you come face to face with a mirror and realise a few things you probably should have noticed waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay sooner._**

**_This is also a story that has taken me way to long to write because of just crazy personal circumstances. So I wanna thank everyone who's been there for me with everything that happened._**

**_And also thank you to the AMAZING Lisy Shamrock for beta-ing this story! Seriously, you did a kick ass job._**

**_(This is for my lovely bid winner, Moonweaver30. Thank you for this.)_**

**_Now get out there and enjoy this chapter!_**

Dean glanced with trepidation at the tear in Reality. He gave one last glance to Rowena, a cursory thing, before setting his face into stone, adjusting his bag firmly onto his shoulder, and marching straight through. The world flashed around him, blinding white. For a mere tenth of a second it felt like everything was whirling and spinning.

Then it stopped.

Where he expected snow and a cold breeze, instead he felt a cold hard floor and heard the sound of breaking glass. Dean stumbled and warm, tan covered arms gripped him securely. Cas. He was prepared to fight, reflexively going to draw his gun... but Cas' confused look was enough to disarm him for a moment. Those blue eyes met his briefly before tracking around the room, which was enough to snap Dean out of his momentary daze. He stepped back and looked around the large and very fancy room. There wasn't even windows, because the whole damn wall was glass. Curvy furniture, gas fireplaces with fancy stones, and a well stocked bar. Wow.

Sam stood next to him, just as amazed…

"Gabriel?" Cas called out. The answer was a groan. Dean spun in a circle and was met with another of the window walls right behind him. He sucked in a breath of air at the view. Skyscrapers next to skyscrapers next to other non-descript tall buildings in shades of tan and grey and… tan-ish brown . Then in the middle of it all, a large expanse of green shaped into a perfect rectangle. If he looked to the sides he could see rivers and in the distance, the gleam of the ocean.

"Why are we in New York?" Sam asked. Cas ignored their confusion, walking closer to the railing near the window wall and looking down.

"Are you okay, brother?" Cas asked, Dean stepped forward looking down and saw the source of shattered glass. Gabe had apparently missed the floor the rest of TFW were currently upon when coming through the crack. Gabe rolled over pathetically, several cuts on his face.

"Yeah, obviously I'm just fi-... Why hello, Muscles." Cas tilted his head at the response and turned to Dean for clarification, but before he could get a word out, his eyes met something just behind Dean and went wide. Dean whipped around and came face to face with a glowing mechanical palm.

"Mind telling me why you're in my house?" Asked the man holding the apparent weapon. Suddenly another man appeared on the other side of Sam, in a flash of long blonde hair and spinning gray he floated in… or… flew. Did he just-... really?!

"Yes, it was unwise of you to suddenly appear where many strong beings are. And if your plan was to be sneaky well..."

"Don't ever try to throw a surprise party," Responded the man in the robot suit. The RED robot suit. _That _had Dean's brain spinning with disbelief, his mouth dropped open making him look like a goldfish, he was positive.

"Dean, what's-" Cas started to ask, but was interrupted by Sam.

"No fucking way. Absolutely not." Sam was shaking his head. "Dean? Do you believe any of this right now?"

"Nah, Gabe must be totally fucking with us. Haha Gabe! Very funny!" Dean called out to the angel a floor below, because there was absolutely no _freaking _way this was real.

"You better believe it sweetheart and start explaining yourselves or I'm gonna have to-... wait." Suddenly the helmet opened, giving another point to the land of _'there's no way this is fucking happening right now' _but apparently totally was. Somewhere inside of him Dean was squealing with glee, while another part of him was impossibly frustrated. "Aren't you the actors from that monster hunting show? Super... something, or whatever." Tony Stark asked and Dean swore he absolutely _would _keep his cool if Steve Rogers walked in next, but knew that in actuality... he might just melt into a puddle on the floor.

"Tony? What do you wanna do about this?" Came a voice from about a floor underneath them and Dean really hoped he had only made that squeaking noise in his head. Judging by the look Cas was giving him, not so much.

"I have a few suggestions. But I don't think Cap's delicate sensibilities could handle them," Gabe said suggestively.

"Sam-" Dean started to ask, totally not on the verge of fainting or something else really embarrassing.

"Avengers Tower... in the center of Manhattan... most definitely does not exist in our universe." Sam responded, his face going pale.

"I'm sorry, your _what _?" Tony asked, lowering his arm in disbelief. Dean rubbed a hand over his eyes, of all the places... why did they end up here? Tony dropped down from where he was hovering with a loud metallic klank. "I'm just gonna surmise what I'm seeing here on the three stooges faces… you guys didn't mean to end up in the middle of my living room?"

"No," Cas answered, in his usual gruff tone. "We were attempting to traverse through the realities to a dimension where the world is an apocalyptic wasteland engineered by angels fighting against humans and demons."

"Tony, are these men _not _attacking us?" Thor asked.

"One minute L'Oreal, still figuring that out." Tony paused then looked at Dean very specifically and pointed a finger at him that slid over the rest of the group as he asked, "Why the hell would you three want to go to an apocalyptic universe?"

"Our mom and our… kid got trapped over there. We've been searching for months to find a way through and now we come out into the wrong damn universe!" Dean answered, letting his frustration out at the end through gritted teeth. He turned away, glancing out the window and clenching his fists tightly together.

"I promise we did not come here to attack you, by the way." Sam added and held his hands up in surrender.

"Do you believe this comparable sized human and his smaller companions, Tony?" Thor asked, letting his hammer, _Mjölnir _Dean squee-d in his head, slow down and rest at his side.

"Yeah, weirdly enough, I think I do. Either that or our week has just been _that _weird." Tony decided, with some whirring the red and gold metal opened and the man stepped out from within. "Is the one down below with you?" All three of the boys nodded. "Well then, you can stand down Cap. It seems we have a non-hostile, accidental visit from a TV show universe." Dean scoffed at that, while Tony looked on with a raised eyebrow. "What you wanna debate that?"

"Well in our universe you guys are just a really ridiculously intertwined movie franchise, so.." Dean just shrugged, clearly trying to irritate Tony. Their world wasn't any less real than this one was. A brief thought passed through his mind that Tony was just placating the crazy people until he could safely remove them…. But he also supposed them appearing through a glowing orange and red crack was evidence enough. Tony just rolled his eyes and turned to the sound of feet shuffling up the stairs.

"Thanks for checking on me guys! I can really feel the love. So fun being part of a team." Gabe drew out the last word, still brushing off some shards of glass while Cap trailed slightly behind.

"Well you're the strongest one of the four of us, so there isn't much to worry about." Cas answered, not at all caring for Gabe's sarcasm. The three Avengers did a double take at Gabriel.

"The smallest is the strongest of you all? I would have supposed this man, surpassing my own stature would be the strongest." Thor asked, confused, clearly talking about Sam. "I mean, even his hair is the most majestic of this lot." Gabe burst out laughing.

"See Sammy? I'm not the only one who thinks you have _majestic hair _." Said Gabe with an accompanying eyebrow wiggle. Sam just rolled his eyes and responded to Thor.

"Thanks, I think. But uh… no. Gabriel is an archangel, then there's Castiel here who's an angel too. Then Dean and me we're just human."

"Ah I see! So are you heros on your world?" Thor further inquired as he walked away from the initial trio, to lounge on one of the couches, settling with a sigh and inclining his head to show he was still listening.

"I mean… they kinda are? I've only seen a few episodes. But you guys fight monsters, right?" Tony asked, moving over to his bar to pour himself a drink. Sam and company were still rooted to their spots, but Gabe seemed to take to this like a duck in water. He strutted over to the couches and plopped down across from Thor.

"I guess you could say that." Sam shrugged. "Dean and I, we call ourselves Hunters, we were kinda-" Sam cut himself off noticing for the first time that Dean hadn't spoken a word in a while. In fact he appeared frozen, gaping, mouth open and everything. Sam reached behind Cas and thwacked Dean on the shoulder.

"Huh? What?" Dean said, startled. Then, he cleared his throat, adjusted his posture, and tried again. "Yeah, we've been hunting our whole lives. Raised in the family business. Werewolves, demons, wendigos, ghosts, angels, you name it. If it's an evil son of a bitch, we gank it." Dean finished his spiel much more confident than he had started, but his eyes still darted back over to the broad man in a grey athletic tee and blue jeans.

Cap still stood near the stairs, arms folded, surveying the newcomers. He'd never seen a TV show with these characters, nor had he ever heard of characters from a TV show jumping through dimensions and coming to life. But he did nod in approval at Dean's sentiment. Dean flushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck, then moved to join the others at the sectional seating. Cas and Sam followed close behind, though none seemed to be able to muster up the confidence to sit.

"Sorry about the mess with the glass, Tony. I missed my landing." Gabriel apologized.

"Oh, it's fine, I'm used to it. Jarvis?" Tony asked towards the ceiling.

"On it, sir." responded the British AI voice. Sam smiled and chuckled lightly.

"Cap, come sit! We must learn about our new friends!" Thor boasted excitedly.

"What a great idea, Thor." Gabriel added Thor just smiled and nodded at his new tiny yet powerful friend, he seemed the jovial and fun type.

"Actually, Thor… I've gotta get back to Bruce. You only promised us one more day with the sceptre _and _I've got a party to prepare for tonight."

"And I promised Nat a sparring session." Cap added in, none of the hunters or angels spoke up, totally unsure of where this would go, whereas Thor jumped at the chance to convince.

"I'm sure Miss Romanoff would love to meet our new universe friends! I mean, this tiny one survived a twenty foot fall and there's not a scratch on him! Super healing abilities I hear?"

"Oh, I don't wanna brag." Gabe feigned modesty, putting up a dismissive hand, but then nodded elaborately and mouthed _yes _to Thor. The man-like God guffawed, clearly enjoying Gabriel's whimsy already.

"Yeah, you probably wouldn't want him to brag about impersonating your brother." Cas said in a wondering tone. Thor's head whipped from Cas back to Gabe in confusion. "Oops." Cas said, _very _sarcastically. Dean burst out laughing and brought up a hand to squeeze Cas' shoulder.

"When did you get so good at that?" Dean asked.

"Adapt or die." Cas responded with a shrug. Dean just gave him the most blinding smile and just barely bit down on telling Cas how awesome he was for the umpteenth time since he had met the guy. He get lost in his eyes for a mere second until Thor's tone caught his ear.

"You impersonated my brother in your world?" Thor seemed borderline mad without knowing the context which, honestly? Wasn't all that surprising.

"Not _your _brother exactly. A version of him on my world." Gabe responded, looking slightly worried… Thor was a huge guy after all.

"Any version of my brother is still _my _brother."

"Well, this one was actually just an earthly bound Pagan god who, by the way, let me impersonate him. I didn't just do it to be mean or make a joke of him."

"Why would you need to do such a thing?" Thor asked incredulously.

"I was on the run from my family. My brothers kept fighting, my dad flew the coop. I just couldn't handle it and I knew if I left they would come after me, so I had to go deep undercover."

"That is a massively simplified version of events, brother." Cas told Thor, while also admonishing his brother.

"Guys, as interesting as this is!" Sam interrupted. "We have a problem."

"Yes, Fabio, what is it? Vampires got you down? Making you feel sucky?"

"Tony, that was terrible." Cap told him.

"Everyone's a critic." Tony shrugged. "But seriously what?" Dean spoke up.

"As cool as it is to meet you guys, and I mean it, it's seriously cool-"

"We weren't trying to get here. So how are we gonna get to where we were _actually _trying to go?" Sam reminded the group.

"Our problem is, we need to open a dimensional rift. And we no longer have the ingredients nor the access to magic like we did in our universe." Cas finished.

"We're only trying to save our family, so it's kinda important." Dean tagged on.

"That's right. You did mention a kid but if," Tony pointed between Gabe and Cas, "you two are brothers and," then he pointed between Sam and Dean, "you two are brothers… whose kid is this exactly? Am I sensing a little angel-human love child… aren't those called Nesi-... Nephy-..."

"Nephilim." Steve filled in for him. Tony snapped his fingers and pointed back at Steve.

"Right that. I can see tall dark and macho hunter boy having a kid, but I can't imagine the proportions are right for "Tiny but Strong' and literal lumberjack here. Oh and which one of you had to be pregnant? The human, right?" Tony mused, to the groans of TFW. Sam looked disgusted, Dean burned scarlett, Cas looked confused, and Gabe just laughed.

"Yeah Cassie, tell them all about Deanie-Weenie's tough time when he was pregnant. Those bacon cheeseburger cravings-"

"Shut up, Gabe!" Dean snapped.

"Jack was adopted, more or less. He is a nephilim, but he's the son of Lucifer and a wonderful human woman named Kelly Kline." Cas said matter-of-factly. In such a way that the room went dead silent.

"Lucifer as in… _the _Lucifer?" Steve asked, stepping closer into the conversation with concern.

"He takes after his mother." Cas defended, bristling slightly.

"Right. So you four… want our help… to break through the dimensional walls… so that you can save your mother… and the anti-christ… from an apocalypse world." Tony summarized. "Right, nice and easy. Totally makes sense." Steve scoffed from across the room and rolled his eyes. Tony considered all of this for a few moments, while the rest of the team waited not-so-patiently. "I think this _might _be out of my fields of expertise, sorry fellas. Thor?" Then Tony downed his drink and walked to exit the room. "Don't break anything else, if you can help it." Then he was gone, sauntering out with all the confidence and swagger his millionaire superhero status might allow.

"Sorry about him." Steve apologised. "And me, I'm afraid I won't be much help either. I'm barely keeping up with pop culture references let alone the technical know-how to open a rift in space. Though if you need me for anything else… not tech related, let me know." He inclined his head towards them and walked out of the room calmly.

"And then there was one... tell me big fella, whatcha know about dimensional travel? No pressure." Gabe asked, making a drink of his own appear out of thin air that he sipped casually from. Thor tilted his head to the side.

"Truthfully not much. My brother would have been much more inundated on this subject were he still around. But, even still, I have resources my other Avengers do not." Thor stood and raised his hand, summoning his hammer to him from where he had set it earlier. It came with a woosh that made both Dean and Sam's eyes light up like little kids excited about a magic show. "However I will travel to Asgard, consult the libraries there, as well as some scholars of my realm, and be back in time for tonight's festivities." Sam stepped forward and held out his hand to Thor.

"Thanks, uh… Thor. We really appreciate it." Thor smiled big and clasped Sam's whole arm. Yanking him in for a bro hug while Sam struggled to stay upright, nearly crushed.

"Anything to aid those who have such a valiant cause as rescuing family. I would rescue my brother if I still could. Though he may have had flaws, he was still my brother." Then he released Sam who took in a big breath of air, tried desperately not to look thrown off by the interaction and did his awkward little wave. "See you later, my new friends." Then Thor walked off down a hallway and was gone. Both Winchesters were slightly disappointed they didn't get to see Thor's departure by the Bifrost.

"Well that could have gone… a lot more weirdly." Dean commented, dropping his bags and plopping onto a different corner of the sectional. Sam just kinda nodded and did the same, but instead of plopping, he sat carefully and clasped his hands together putting his elbows on his knees. Cas stalked around the couch to face Dean, clearly wanting an explanation.

"Dean, I don't think I understand entirely. I know you two told me about what the other universe was like. The one where our lives are a TV show, but this… is something else. Dean, this is a picture perfect representation of all those 'Marvel' movies we-" Dean interrupted Cas by laughing nervously and yanking him down to sit on the couch.

"Um, haha, yeah. I almost forgot I showed you those movies, it was so long ago." Dean answered, his voice pitched just a smidge too high, earning squinted eyes from Sam and raised brows from Gabriel.

"I don't see how you could forget seeing as we just rewatched Captain America: The First Avenger for the _third _time the other night." Cas tilted his head to the side, a look of slight annoyance crossed over his features. Dean raised his eyebrows back and kinda shrugged towards the rest of the group. Cas' brow furrowed and he tilted his head back slightly, chin jutting out.

"How many movies have you two been watching exactly?" Gabe asks playfully.

"Yeah and _where _? Because I certainly never seem to be invited." Sam pointed out, casting a look at Gabe that made him burst out laughing.

"Oooh, so many blanks left to be filled… what _will _my imagination come up with?" Gabe teased them both. Cas, seeming to have finally caught on to Dean's wishes, had gone totally silent; giving absolutely nothing away. Whereas Dean had gone bright red and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"None of this matters! Point is, Cas actually understands what universe we're in and isn't totally out of the loop. That's a good thing, isn't it?" Dean paused in defending his actions to try and distract them. "What about you Gabe? You've been locked up and imprisoned for years. Have you had a chance to catch up on the latest the MCU has to offer?" Gabe glowered at him.

"Touché Dean-o. But we'll be coming back to this later."

"Actually, that brings up a good point, Dean." Sam added.

"What? It does?" Dean responded, looking very confused about how his and Cas' movie watching sessions in his room could have anything to do with their current situation, besides general knowledge.

"Yes, _which _movie are we in?" Sam asked, imploring Dean and Cas.

"Well, we can't be for sure since we haven't had time to see Infinity War with everything going on." Dean responded.

"But Tony did mention the sceptre to Thor. Which contains the Mind Stone." Cas added in. Dean lit up turning to Cas.

"Which also means Vision hasn't been created yet! So if Bruce and Tony are still working on the sceptre-"

"And Thor also mentioned 'festivities' tonight. Which I assume means a party," Cas said.

"It does." Dean confirmed. "Sceptre in the tower plus big party tonight means…" Dean squeezed his eyes closed, deep in thought when suddenly his eyes popped open and he met Cas' patient gaze with dread. "Ultron. Ultron is coming… tonight."

"Ultron as in… we're in the middle of Avengers: Age of Ultron? The one that used the creepy version of the pinocchio song in all its commercials?" Sam asked, moderately concerned. Dean and Cas both nodded their heads seriously. "Oh… wow. That's not good. So should we try to sto-"

"No, not at all. I don't think that's wise." Cas said gravely and Sam looked annoyed because he didn't even get to say what he was thinking. "Messing with the timeline, intervening in it… especially one so different from our own, could have catastrophic consequences that may just bind us here forever." At that Sam looked sufficiently chastised because… yes, that is exactly what he wanted to do.

"So that's a no on helping the superheroes." Gabe spoke up.

"Well… maybe not entirely." Cas admitted.

"We can't tell them about future events, but we can probably still help out in the fight tonight… if we're not gone by then. We just gotta be careful not to-"

"Die. Yeah, duh. Way to be obvious Dean." Sam rolled his eyes and Dean could swear he had _bitch _on the tip of his tongue, but in the next moment he was distracted.

"Maybe Thor isn't the only being that could help us return to our world." Cas jumped in and Dean turned to him, wondering what he had thought of and mentally high five-ing himself for spearheading Cas' pop culture education. "There is another being in Manhattan who has the ability to travel between places with 'sling rings'." Dean gasped in excitement and also a little bit of pride that Cas was able to remember all of this.

"Right! The Manhattan chapter house with at least one Master of the Mystic Arts! Aw man the wizard people are _so cool _!"

"Alright, take a chill pill, fanboy. What exactly can this guy do, Cas?" Gabe interjected. Cas shrugged, but went on anyway.

"The Masters of the Mystic Arts are a sort of magic wielder in this universe. They have the ability to travel to other dimensions. The best of them has yet to find his way there, but perhaps we could inquire after the Ancient One. She may be able to help us faster than Thor. Plus, then we don't have to worry about messing up established events in the Avengers tower."

"Best be careful of the butterfly effect sort of thing right?" Sam asked, and all three nodded in unison.

"This is tricky business fellas. When I create my own pocket worlds I never have to worry about the finite details of destroying people's lives or invoking the wrath of Fate. We have to tread lightly." Gabe said rather seriously, making the rest of the team nod gravely.

With a note left just under the bourbon for the tower residents, the four headed out onto the streets of Manhattan in search of the Chapter House… which of course couldn't possibly be easy. Especially since there were never addresses or anything mentioned in movies. Thankfully, Sam thought to duck into a library to use a computer. With Dean's help, they were able to narrow down the neighborhood and a few potential buildings it could be by using the birds eye view.

Steve loved the thrill of sparring. Especially with some as strong, talented, and quick witted as Natasha Romanoff. Most days it was a pretty even match with both of them landing on their butts in even amounts, but today, Steve was distracted, thinking about the people from the other universe. A universe of monsters, a never ending valiant cause, a universe where his life is a _movie _? It just seemed highly improbable that anyone would enjoy watching the things that happened to him… maybe the super soldier stuff but the rest-

"Steve! Get your head out of your ass!" Nat complained as she flipped him onto the mat for the umpteeth time. Not even needing to climb on top of him to do it. He barely felt the contact but just stayed down, looking up at the padded ceiling, _yes even that is padded _, and after seeing Nat display her talents, he knew why. Nat stood above him and let out a huge sigh. "What is it about these other worlders that has you so caught up on that mental hamster wheel of yours?" Steve gave her a look.

"Haha, Nat. Very funny." She gave him her signature smirk, not quite a smile but something to show that she was quite pleased with the reaction she had received.

"What! I'm serious. Normally nothing shakes you. So fess up, there's something about it that bothers you _more _than the fact that where they come from our lives are a string of movies. And more than the fact that their universe is riddled with monsters because, _newsflash _, so is ours. They're just not usually the monsters of the horror stereotype." She folded her arms, a single red eyebrow raised as she waited for an answer. Steve sighed and sat up, hugging his arms loosely around his knees.

"You're right. It's just… when Dean, one of the human hunters, saw me… it was like the whole world went askew for him. Not in the way fans do when they see me, or a little kid, but in the way someone does when they need something to believe in and it's just… walked into the room." Steve explained roughly, and he couldn't tell by Nat's expression if she was getting it. She always had the perfect poker face that never gave away what she was thinking.

"Are you trying to say that this guy looked at you like a man searching for God, just had _the _Jesus Christ walk in the room? Because it sounds like you're saying he was looking at you the way people look at statues in a church." Nat intoned and squatted to sit across from him, her body moving without sound. Steve considered what she said, automatically he wanted to reject the notion: him being viewed as some kind of _deity. _

"I don't know. Maybe? But the guys came here loaded up with two _angels _of all things." Steve said in a bit of an exasperated tone, Nat chuckled lightly and patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, exactly. Clearly this guy has already come face to face with his heroes and been disappointed. In a universe where there's angels, there must be a God, and since he's the lead he's probably met him a few times." Nat rationalized.

"Lead? What do you mean lead?"

"On the TV show. It's been on-air for a decade now. I think there was some theory back from season five that this guy named Chuck was actually God and not just some writer slash prophet or whatever. I only watched through season 7 and stopped when they killed off the angel." Nat rambled on while Steve listened, carefully trying to keep track.

"You've… seen the show?"

"Yeah, I had to go undercover at a Comic Con to see if I could catch onto this one guy who was also in deep cover. So my lingo and knowledge of nerdy things had to be able to match. Thankfully, it's a pretty good show so it wasn't the most horrible research I've done for a mission." Nat shrugged a dainty shoulder and Steve just stared at her in amazement. Some days, he thought of her as his equal but the days he had enough sense he _knew _she was way better than him at almost everything. He gave her a shy little smile which she returned with her smirk. The silence was comfortable for a few moments considering all that he'd just found out, until Natasha spoke up with a question. "You mentioned angels with them. Which ones?"

"An Archangel… Gabe? I think they were calling him." Nat sucked in a breath of barely contained excitement.

"Gabriel?! He's super powerful! Mostly benevolent, mainly into teaching assholes lessons in… maybe not the best manner. But he died! Way back in season five! Wow, I wonder what I've missed…"

"He's also very flirty." Steve said with a laugh, which Nat joined in on.

"Yeah, he passed on an important message through a porno after his death. So I can totally believe he'd flirt with anything even slightly attractive." Steve looked utterly perplexed at this new revelation.

"A… porno? What-" Steve shook his head. "Nevermind. I won't get it anyway." Nat just laughed.

"We can watch it together later. We'll have some time to kill after tonight. I think you'll really like it actually." Nat gave him one of her genuine rare smiles, it warmed Steve's heart and made his hands tingle slightly. He shook them out and then stood up. He extended a hand to Nat and helped her up as well. His grip lingered for a moment as he looked in her eyes.

"Thanks, Nat." Then, he smirked at her, any gratitude he showed her was always worth it for the reaction. How she flushed slightly, tucked a hair behind her ear, and looked away, anywhere but at him.

"Yeah, whatever. So who was the other angel guy?" She asked, quickly returning to her normal cool facade. Steve lamented the loss of a Nat who displayed her emotions openly.

"Something starting with a C.. I didn't quite ca-"

"Castiel is here?! _The _Cas! He's the angel guy I was talking about. Clearly I need to catch up because I have missed some stuff." Nat pondered what it could all mean, how they had brought both kick ass angels back to life. "I should really go meet them. I bet Cas would be a great sparring partner-" Suddenly Steve kicked his foot out to try and knock Nat down, but she swiftly jumped to the side just in time, a predatory smile on her face when she met his eyes.

"You're sparring with me right now." Steve declared and came at her again, attempting to strike her in the abs. She grabbed his arm and pulled him around so they swapped positions. Both jumped back into a more ready stance.

"Oh is that what we were doing? I thought we were gonna start painting each other's nails and talking about boys." With that she struck, jumping up and kicking him in the shoulder, then flipping back with a spin in the air that could've been a dance move in a choreographed show. The kick sent Steve reeling backwards, a knowing glint in his eye and wry smirk forming on his mouth.

"So then, tell me about Bruce… any moves yet?" Steve asked her, but regretted it almost immediately once the words are out of his mouth. Her expression changed from playful to serious, ready for a real match. He couldn't tell if it was because he mentioned their scientist friend, or because she was really ready to get serious. It was best he remind himself why he always kept himself at a distance anyway.

"Nah, we're done talking now." With that she struck again, but Steve, still distracted, kept getting lost in the grace and skill of her moves. He was entirely not surprised when she landed him on his ass yet again.

"It's just weird! That's all I'm saying!" Dean ranted, walking down the busy Manhattan streets with his brother and resident angels.

"What, that she's a normal person?" Sam asked, rolling his eyes and dodging a group of trophy wives shopping for deals. They were trekking up Fifth Avenue. The walk down had been fine, mostly empty streets of midday Midtown as most people attended their office day jobs. But as the day wore on… and got even _hotter _, the streets were quickly amassed with bodies, all trying to get one way or another. Both angels had entirely rejected the idea of being contained in a tiny metal tube deep underground and none of them had the money to pay for a cab ride… so walking it was. Walking _fifty blocks _. Although Manhattan was certainly a beautiful and interesting city, nobody was ready for that long of a walk straight out of the gate.

"But _texting _? I'd be okay if she'd said 'Just give me a call' but _text her? _The _Ancient One _?!" All the group collectively chose to ignore Dean's inability to meld superheroes into the modern world. "I mean, it took Cas _months _just to understand how calling worked. Texting is _still _a process."

"Hey, I-" Cas tried to defend himself but was interrupted.

"Cas isn't even human, Dean. Plus they have celestial mind meld with Angel Radio, no need for phones. The Ancient One is still _human _. And she's smart, so of course she would adapt with the times. At least she was willing to help us." Sam lectured Dean on the logic, which Dean was so not in the mood to deal with. An ambulance went screeching by, turning up 14th Street, distracting Dean's gaze.

"Oh! Look a DQ! We _have _to go get some." All four turned to look, Sam and Cas entirely not tracking what Dean had just found.

"For once, I agree with Dean. Dairy Queen is a mid-western marvel of the fast ice cream proportions. Plus, it makes sense Dean wants to visit a place called _queen _." Gabriel enthused the group and started leading the charge for frozen deliciousness.

"Shut it." Dean said, shoving the archangel aside and stormily heading towards the bright blue building. "It's hot, and we've still got thirty-five more blocks to go. So, I'm getting a Blizzard. Anyone else?" Cas shrugged and followed after Dean. Sam sighed and brung up the rear.

"Oh look it's two levels!" Dean exclaimed.

"Anyone else still feeling all weird and tingly after that chakara knock around or… whatever it was that she did?" Gabe inquired as they came up to their sweet treat stop. All three turned to look at him, Dean's hand even pausing on the door handle.

"Yes." Sam, Dean, and Cas said together. Then they gave each other an even more perplexed look.

"Let's not talk about this again." Dean said with a shudder and pulled open the door.

"Yeah, like… ever." Sam added.

"Agreed." Cas finished while Gabe just nodded. "At least she believed us and was willing to help. I understand why she wouldn't trust the stone to any of us. But it is weird that she insisted we stay until tomorrow morning. I wonder if she knows about the events that are about to transpire." Dean slung his arm around Cas' shoulders and brought him closer to the line so they could view the menu.

"Cas, I find it best not to question the wisdom of people who have the word _ancient _in their title."

"Actually, you're usually the first in line to question and irritate such individuals to the point of them wanting to smite you." Cas parried. Sam burst out laughing, which Dean pointedly ignored.

"Well, whatever. You _might _be right about that but this is a different place and I'm, for once, willing to trust the wisdom of an older mystical being… instead of trying to gank them." Dean shook his head, trying to move on from the previous conversation and get onto more important things. "So, _this _is Dairy Queen, Cas! A house of ice cream, you can get cones, cakes, customized shakes, smoothies, bars, anything really! And it's all made out of sweet frozen deliciousness." Dean looked over and caught Cas staring, throwing him off for a moment. Such critical blue eyes made him swallow down the sudden lump in his throat. "So what do you want?"

"Perhaps it would be best if you ordered for me, Dean? You seem to have a better grasp of the flavor palette." Cas shrugged a shoulder and gestured vaguely at the menu. "However the cheeseburgers do look nice." Dean smiled and squeezed Cas against him slightly.

"You got it. Cheeseburger with cheese curds and one mini cookie dough and peanut butter cup blizzard with chocolate ice cream." Cas smiled slightly, perplexed. "No complaints then?" Cas just shook his head side-to-side and Dean's gaze returned to the menu. His arm still wrapped around his shoulders, Cas leaned more into it which was when Dean remembered what he was doing and released Cas, looking slightly frazzled. But he didn't look ashamed like he sometimes did, this time he just cast a shy smile at Cas as he rubbed his neck. Cas adored this side of Dean almost more than any other.

"Are you two done gazing at each other yet? I wanna order!" Gabriel whined. Dean just nodded, not responding to the quip like he normally would, and stepped up to the counter. He ordered the items for Cas as well as something called an 'Orange Julius' for himself in a strawberry banana flavor, and after a pause ordered himself a cheeseburger and fries as well.

"Uh, guys?" Sam asked in a whisper, stepping up in between Cas and Gabe so only they could hear. "How are we paying for this?" Gabe looked at Sam and just smirked.

"I've got it." Then he winked. After they had all placed their orders, the cashier told them that they were actually the 5,000,000th customers so the whole order was free. Gabe only just barely restrained himself from making balloons and streamers a part of the package. Which he only did because Sam had given him a very pointed look.

_**A/N cont: **_**_Alright everyone! I'm aiming to keep this to three chapters. The next one will deal with a little bit of pre-party as well as the party. The last chapter will deal with Post-party/fight. As well as the next morning. We'll see after I'm done whether or not this will need an epilogue for our ever pining idiots. Hoping to post more soon!_**


	2. Something Ahead

It was almost sunset by the time the boys made it back to Avengers (formerly Stark) Tower. Miraculously, none of them got lost or were in any way worse for wear than when they had started their adventure. (Except for Dean complaining of chaffing and Sam complaining of blisters. I mean…. They did walk _a lot.) _They had indulged in a few side adventures… they were stuck in the city until the morning at least, so it wouldn't hurt to relax a little.

"This has almost been like a little vacation," Sam mused as they entered the lobby.

"More like a trip to a better version of Disney World, where everything is real and nothing is even slightly campy," Dean responded and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Same amount of random singing though." At the security desk, they got a large raised eyebrow from the Armenian man sitting in a chair.

"Do you have invites?" He asked.

"Oh no, we're just guests of happenstance for the day. Check with Tony or Thor." Gabriel responded with his greasiest smile and most convincing wink… which really wasn't all that convincing in the face of such a large man. The man grunted, tapped a few keys on the keyboard, and then turned his stern face back to the group.

"You're not on the list," the man grumped.

"Just call Stark and tell him the guys from the other universe are back and we need to talk to him about our situation," Dean snapped, clearly not having it.

"That's not how this works. People off the street don't just get to waltz on in here and tell me to call Stark." He crossed his arms and leveled all four men with a stare that clearly said he thought he could take all of them in a fight.

"Sorry, 'scuse me." Sam interrupted the stare off. "If you'll just check the security footage, you'll find that we left the building at around nine this morning. But if you look further back there is no evidence of us ever entering the building in the first place." The guy looked moderately confused, but after a few moments decided to sit forward and started tapping around on the computer again.

"How did you guys say you came here again?"

"Through a tear in reality. In our universe this is all just a movie franchise." Cas answered, which got him an elbow to the gut from Dean. The guy appraised the group once more, his eyes going from guarded to wary of how crazy they might be… when suddenly the phone rang.

"Yes." He answered the phone and paused momentarily. "Yes, sir. I'll send them up." He tapped his finger to the bluetooth and then nodded to the elevator, but didn't say anything else. Three of them nodded and shuffled away.

"Thanks," Gabriel said with a wink before hopping after the others. In the elevator, all four of them settled in for the ride up many stories. "Anyone remember which floor we were on before?" Everyone just shook their heads side-to-side… and with a manic gleam in his eye, Gabe pressed all the buttons to the groans of everyone inside the elevator. "What? Why not take in a few more sights? Maybe even lay eyes on the _gorgeous_ Black Widow." As the elevator came to its first stop on the 15th floor, the doors slid open to reveal a relaxed looking Natasha Romanoff in jeans and a T-shirt. Gabe actually squeaked. All eyes in the elevator went round at the sight of the first female Avenger to work with the team. What was weird though was how Natasha's eyes went round right back. She stepped into the elevator, utterly shocked, then shook her head.

"Woah. Supernatural boys. I knew you were here, but running into all of you in the elevator just seems exceptionally crazy." She leaned back against the doors as they closed and glanced to the button board, eyes narrowing. "Who pressed _all_ of the buttons?" The Winchesters and Cas both pointed accusatory fingers at Gabe. He laughed awkwardly.

"Where do you need to go my lady?" Gabe asked.

"22nd floor. Where are you guys trying to go?" Nat fired back.

"The common room floor place… or something. Wherever we first came through." Sam piped up.

"18th floor then." Gabe raised his hand and snapped his fingers, all of the buttons flicked off except for the two requested floors. Natasha for her part, didn't even blink at the display of powers. "That's good because Thor was asking around for you. He was worried. Oh and Tony wanted a word with you, Sam. He brushed up on your show and was interested to see what you thought of a few things." Sam's eyes bugged out of his head.

"Tony wants to see me?" Sam asked, astonished.

"Yeah he'll probably have the two of you plus Bruce put those giant brains together for something." Natasha said flippantly, clearly not interested in all of the Tony tech hooplah.

"Bruce as in… Dr. Bruce Banner?!" Sam just barely contained his excitement. Dean chuckled quietly. "Yeah. Yeah, that's fine, that's cool." Sam's voice went far too high in pitch, so Natasha raised a slim red eyebrow at him.

"He's a big fan of the Hulk _and _especially Dr. Banner," Dean teased. Sam shot a bitch face at his brother.

"Yeah says the Cap fan boy who couldn't even make words when he walked in the room earlier." Sam retaliated.

"Thank you for the help Ms. Romanoff, it was lovely to meet you." Cas said, as the only occupant of the elevator paying attention to their destination. The doors sprung open and Cas ushered them all out.

"See you at the party?" She asked, smiling at Cas and giving him a little wink. Dean caught this and glowered slightly as Cas finished shoving him off to the side.

"I should suppose we will unless it's a really large party." Cas responded, giving her his signature head tilt.

"No worries, champ. I tend to stand out in a crowd." With that the doors slid shut. Gabriel gave a low whistle.

"Guess she likes the quiet types." He said.

"What do you mean by that?" Dean said pointedly.

"Just that Cassie here barely said a word and yet _he's_ the one who got flirted with by her. And he totally missed it!" Gabe said wistfully, strolling casually down the hall towards what looked like a balcony in the distance. "I'm gonna go search for Thor, you boys have fun! Oh, and if you can't find something to wear for the party tonight… be sure to visit Uncle Gabriel's Boutique!"

"Yeah, that'll never happen." Dean answered now that Gabe was out of earshot. "And you best go try and find Tony then. If he wants you."

"Yeah, you're right but… how?" Sam asked. Dean thought for a moment before an idea struck him.

"Jarvis?" Dean called, tilting his head to the ceiling.

"Yes, Mr. Winchester?" Responded the AI.

"Sweet," Dean said mostly to himself, to Jarvis he asked, "Where is Mr. Stark located? Sammy needs to find him."

"Ah Yes, if you'll just follow the sound of my voice Sam, I can direct you to his study." Jarvis told the room, then the elevator dinged and opened. "This way."

"Awesome. Thanks." Sam said awkwardly, then with a nod he marched back into the elevator.

"Man, that is so cool. We need one of those in the bunker." Dean mused.

"The Black Widow was flirting with me?" Cas asked Dean. "I thought that was just her personality." Dean turned to meet Cas' eyes and his face twitched strangely, unsure how to respond.

"Well, uhh… I guess. Yes to both of those? It's not like we actually know her. Just the movie version. She's a pretty complex person." Dean told Cas amicably and with as much reason as he can muster, despite still feeling a little put off by that interaction. Though he didn't dare put his finger on _why_ it made him feel weird.

"Then why did Gabriel seem to think it was flirting?" Castiel asked. "I thought flirting was seeking physical contact in an unnecessary situation or suggesting sexual notions. Though I'm beginning to reconsider the former because you do that with astonishing frequency." Dean spluttered at Cas' words. Castiel, Warrior Angel of the Lord, talking about sexual suggestions... but also saying Dean had been flirting with him? And by that definition had he? Dean's brain had just hopped on a very confusing train that he didn't know how to get off of. "Dean?" Cas asked, pulling his focus back.

"Yeah?" Dean answered smartly.

"You 'spaced out' as you call it. I was talking about-"

"I know what you were talking about Cas. And the answer is: it's all complicated but yes, she was probably flirting with you. I wouldn't take it to heart though."

"She tends to flirt with everyone." Answered a deep baritone from around the corner. In the next moment, Steve appeared in the same grey T-shirt and blue jeans from before, throwing Dean's brain through another momentary loop. Thankfully, now he'd had a few hours to think all of this through and prepare for this moment. "Dean's probably right. She was likely just flirting with you to irk the other guys because you were the only one who didn't react. It always drives people crazy." He chuckled lightly.

Dean laughed rather awkwardly and Cas gave him an odd look.

"I'm not one to be driven crazy by something so simple." Cas mused turning back to Steve.

"What, you're completely unphased by gorgeous women?" Steve asked, a laughing smirk still on his face. Cas tilted his head and squinted his eyes thoughtfully.

"Outward beauty is a subjective thing, fluctuating across the world and throughout time. I tend to find certain souls more 'attractive' than others. Some are so uniquely beautiful, made of something… rare." Cas told them. Steve looked at Cas skeptically. Dean was still mute, desperately trying not to stare at Steve too obviously, and he was exceptionally thankful neither Cas nor Steve had mentioned his behavior.

"So you're really an angel? Made by God, warrior of heaven, the whole package?" Steve asked, clearly still not sure what to make of the whole situation. Cas nodded solemnly.

"I used to command my own Garrison. Led my brethren through all the rings of hell. It was a harrowing battle, I lost many men." Cas told him. Steve nodded, respect in his eyes. Something about him aged, he seemed infinitely older. It was that moment that finally saved Dean from his gripping panic of meeting one of his childhood heroes. (And maybe a bit of adulthood too, but he would never admit that to Sam.) Steve Rogers was once just a boy who desperately wanted to fight for his country. Fought the good fight, now he'd spent years on the front lines, displaced from anything he could consider a semblance of home. He was a man; a good man.

"So are you excited for the party tonight?" Dean asked, keeping the conversation casual so as to just dip his toes into the realms of his celebrity anxiety. Dean rubbed his palms against his jeans, fighting off the sweat and forcing his pulse to slow the heck down. _Be cool man._

"Yeah, I guess. It's not often we get to do something quite like this. I'm not really a partier myself, but I know the rest of them like it," he said, clearly indicating the rest of the Avengers team. "It will be nice to chat with friends too."

"Laugh at everyone else's drunk antics?" Dean asked, jokingly. Steve chuckled.

"That too."

"Cas once drank an entire liquor store." Dean told Steve. Cas looked mildly affronted at Dean sharing this.

"It was a rough time. I had just realized my father didn't care about us anymore. Not even intervening in the end of his creation." Steve laughed.

"Your lives are just different strides of crazy, aren't they?" Dean nodded and smirked a bit.

"No aliens, plenty of demons and ghosts." Dean agreed. "But the same set of ideals."

"Those being?" Steve asked, almost as if he was testing Dean, which made Dean nervous, but he answered without hesitating.

"Saving people." Dean told him, Cas nodded beside him. Steve gave him a small smile of approval that made Dean feel all glowy on the inside.

"Few hours to go until the party? What are you gentlemen going to do to entertain yourselves?" Steve inquired casually. A brilliant idea struck Dean.

"Have either of you ever played the original _Super Mario Bros_ for Nintendo?" Dean asked, a childlike wonder coming into his eyes as he glanced between Cas and Cap. They both gave him confused yet intrigued looks.

"Are those the italian plumber brothers you've mentioned before?" Cas asked and Dean winked at him.

"Hey Jarvis?" Dean asked toward the ceiling.

"If you go down the hall you'll find everything you need in the TV room on the left." Responded the robotic butler.

"Man this place is the best!" Dean exclaimed and took off in the suggested direction, leaving Cas and Steve to shrug at each other and follow after Dean.

"Sir, you said you would be getting ready," Jarvis chastised, because for some reason Tony gave him those capabilities.

"I know mom. I just thought maybe, alternate universe knowledge, he might know some things." Tony said as he flung the tie around his neck, wearing it like a scarf in his flustered state. He _hated_ problems he couldn't solve. He knew he was obsessive and ridiculous but he couldn't help it. This felt important.

"Alright Sir. Sam Winchester will meet you in your study, I'm directing him there now."

"Grand. The giant one is the smart one?" Tony inquired. He had guessed as much, but this guy was like a mountain. Tony had only heard about the show in passing, never really watched it. He knew enough to not have to ask what it was, but couldn't name a character or plotline. Other than that Jarvis had given him the rundown.

"He does not possess the most knowledge of the three, but he is the most likely to be able and think in the abstract realm." Jarvis explained and Tony shrugged, loosely finishing the knot in his tie and walking to the adjoining door of his study. As he walked in he saw… _Sam_, he reminded himself, gazing at some of the smaller projects scattered about the large room. Jarvis called this his study… it was more of a backdoor to his studio. This was where he tinkered on Iron Man projects. "Sam is it?" The man in question whipped around, hair flowing smoothly like a damn princess.

"Yeah, that's me. I heard you wanted to see me?" Sam asked nervously. He was very fidgety and Tony almost found it admirable, maybe even adorable. How can someone so large be reduced to the mannerisms of a golden retriever?

"Yes, I did. I want to grill you on some of the differences between our universes: theoretical properties and how they might be applicable to our current project. You game?" Tony strode across the room proudly, thanking his past self who decided to make this room with multiple built in height levels, and choosing to keep the high ground. He didn't have little man syndrome… he just… didn't want to get accidentally crushed should the fidgety giant take a tumble.

"Oh, uh sure. No problem." Sam nodded and rubbed his hands together.

"Jarvis analyzed you and figured you'd be the best for this conversation out of your companions." Sam huffed a quiet laugh in response to that.

"Thanks, I guess. The angels sometimes get too literal, but Dean definitely has more knowledge of this universe than I do." Tony brushed him off.

"Did you go to college?"

"Yeah, Stanford. But I didn't graduate, the whole… monster hunting thing got in the way."

"What were you studying?"

"Law, actually. I wanted to help people in a normal way." Sam gestured weirdly with his hands. "Didn't work out though. Dean came and got me one night, our dad had gone missing and he wanted help. I helped him with one case, came back to California, and the same demon that killed my mom killed my girlfriend." Tony's eyes widened in shock.

"Well, monster hunting sounds horrible, but it does seem more exciting than law."

"Yeah, no shit." Sam sighed and looked out at the view of the city skyline and the rectangle of green in the middle.

"So tell me, what is the core makeup of your world? How does it run? Do you have aliens? What's the lowdown?"

Thor smiled jovially at his new friend as he appeared on the balcony with him.

"Ah, Gabriel of the Alternate Realm! I have bad news!" Thor said this with joy, still too happy at having other new powerful friends, especially ones in such tiny packages. Gabriel smiled back and waved a palm at him dismissively.

"It's alright thunder-man, we talked with this world's ancient one and she's got a neat solution for us by tomorrow if we can't figure out anything else." Gabe stepped up to the railing looking down, a wistful look in his eye. "I wish I had enough power, I'd fly over this city."

Thor's eyes twinkled merrily at the idea.

"It does so startle the citizens of this world though. Even with the alien invasion in years past, it's like they deemed it necessary to forget the strangeness of reality. Peculiar really," Thor mused.

"Hey that's humans for you." Then Gabriel turned around, putting his back to the view and side eyeing Thor. "So," he waggled his eyebrows, "What are you wearing to the party?" Thor chuckled at the clear mischief in his new friend's eyes. He reminded him of his brother in all the good ways, it hurt a bit, but it was worth it.

"Are you angling to outfit me for the occasion?" Thor intoned his head, mirth clear in his eyes, lips quirking in a smirk. Gabriel winked and Thor laughed heartily, tossing his head back.

After a few games of _Super Mario Bros_ it was deemed that everyone wanted to play a game together rather than separately getting cajoled by Dean. Dean took it in stride to swap out what console they were using in favour of a slightly more advanced motion technology that was hugely popular across the world.

"I don't understand why the plastic 'wheel' is necessary if it doesn't actually function at all." Cas stated, his use of air quotes slightly hindered by the wii remote in his hand. Dean groaned.

"Because Cas," Dean totally wasn't on the verge of whining, "it makes it easier for you, since you're new, plus it gives you the _feel_ of driving a car." Cas scoffed at that.

"These tiny virtual on screen cars feel nothing like driving any vehicle. If it were that simple then how come I keep going backwards without meaning to." Cas complained. "The game should not be harder than actually driving. That makes no sense and impedes the fun."

"Blah blah, you whiny baby. Look, Steve isn't having any trouble." Dean gestured vaguely to the Avenger on the other side of him, Cas narrowed his eyes and they slid over to the man in question. Steve held up his hands in defence.

"I don't see the harm of Cas trying the… nunchuck? Is that what you called it?" Steve placated, however he was confused by the name as it had no visual similarities to the ninja weapon. Dean turned on him glaring lightly while Cas just smirked.

"Thank you Steve." At which point Cas snatched the additional remote and attached cord from where Dean was hiding it behind him, then plopped the wheel into his lap. "Stop acting like a toddler Dean, and play with the grown ups." Steve could hear the taunt in the angel's voice and watched as Dean's mouth popped open in shock. He didn't respond, clearly affronted while something else twinkled in his eyes. Steve held his wheel encased remote over his mouth to hide the smile that came over him. Cas reached over and pressed a button on Dean's remote to start a new game, and Dean just barely shook out of his stupor in time to speed off ahead of them, just as he had in the previous races. Steve was getting better though: while Dean easily soared into first and worked on maintaining that, Steve was battling for fourth and third against a tiny pink car deemed 'Baby Peach'. Cas on the other hand was hovering around 8th place, which was a remarkable improvement considering he hadn't finished a single race yet.

"Hey, Castiel might actually finish this one." Steve smiled at the sound of the new, feminine voice. Dean whipped his head around, distracted by the intruder. Steve could hear her shoes on the floor as she walked up behind them on the couch and smoothly jumped over the back, landing gracefully next to Steve. "You're also not doing so bad, old man." She purred in his ear. A slight gooseflesh overtook the arm nearest her, but he refused to take his eyes off the screen, he was in 2nd now and with her distraction leading to Dean's fumble he may be able to overtake him.

"Nice try, Nat," he told her, and she chuckled lightly. "How long were you standing there?" A mystery box awarded him three red mushrooms and Steve used them to carefully zoom right up behind Dean's Donkey Kong character, leaving one remaining.

"Long enough to watch you try to hold in a laugh as the lovebirds bickered." She said it quietly, but not so quietly that Dean didn't hear. Which meant the hunter spluttered and fumbled his remote, Steve saw his cheeks going red out of the corner of his eye and it made him smirk. The finish line was in view and Dean's fumble meant he was just a breath ahead of Steve's Mario. He activated his last mushroom and watched the number in the corner of his screen flicker to 1st at the last moment. He grinned brilliantly.

"Aw no! Come on! I got distracted." Dean groaned, dropping his remote. Cas hissed a happy sound as he finished in 5th. That pulled Dean from his momentary pout and despite the earlier tiff, he smiled brilliantly, clapping him on the shoulder. "Nicely done!" Cas turned his smile on Dean, and Steve saw a very similar look in his eyes as he gazed at his friend. Steve turned to Natasha, inclining his eyebrow and she raised hers back in answer. She'd seen it too. When Steve glanced back, Dean was offering him a hand.

"Good game, Cap. Even with the distractions." Dean told him and Steve readily grasped his hand.

"It was fun, so thanks for that Dean." Steve watched Dean practically glow under the compliment and bit back a laugh. Still a fan boy then.

"How about one more game where you boys all get your asses handed to you? And after that we all need to get ready for tonight," Natasha goaded them. Dean's eyes looked a little fearful but Steve just laughed.

"So eager to snatch my victory from me, Nat." He nudged her with his shoulder playfully which made her smile, then she snatched the fourth Wii remote and nunchuck.

"Oh no, not you too." Dean groaned, a hand dragging down his face. Cas smirked next to him, but didn't say anything. "Shut up, Cas." That just made the angel smile. As was far too easy to predict, Natasha Romanoff destroyed them all. A full 30 seconds ahead of the pack, she didn't even celebrate her victory. Dean groaned and flopped back on the couch. "8th place. I can't freaking believe it. You're vicious." He pointed his Wii wheel at the spy and she feigned an innocent look. Steve had claimed 3rd, and Cas, who was sympathetically patting Dean's shoulder, had claimed 7th.

"Losing doesn't become you, kid," Natasha admonished him, standing and putting her remote back on the charger. Dean spluttered at that, probably because he knew he was older than her but all men knew better than to correct a woman about age. Cas changed the subject, probably attempting to save his friend further embarrassment.

"Natasha, do you know if Sam is still speaking with Tony?" As he asked, he also got up and put away his remote, straightening his coat. Steve absently wondered what exactly all these self dubbed 'Brainiac Sessions' would result in and felt the barest tingle pass down his spine.

"Yeah, I heard Tony grilling him about all the ways your universe might be different when I passed his study. He thinks it might lead him somewhere, but honestly, I think it's just another drop in his endless bucket of projects." She tucked a loose hair behind her ear and then crossed her arms over her chest. The move was so relaxed the other two probably had no idea how closely she was studying them, her quick spy mind drawing easy conclusions. "Steve you take Foam Finger over there, I'll take Trenchcoat and we'll see what we can make of them for the party." She smirked, eyes alight with something dangerous. Steve nodded easily, a complete sucker for her devious plan. Though he had no clue what it entailed he still choked on a laugh. Cas looked at Dean confused.

"Foam Finger?" Cas asked for clarification and Steve got the sense that things like this happened often. Dean however just blushed and stood up, hand rubbing the back of his neck. He replaced the remote then went to exit the room.

"C'mon Steve, best do as the lady says." Dean grumbled and Steve gave a moderately annoyed look towards the Black Widow as he jumped up to follow Dean. She easily took the remote from him so he wouldn't have to fiddle with the charger.

"You're cruel," he told her and she laughed easily making Steve feel warm as he walked quickly after Dean.

"You like it!" She called after him, making him warm further.

Cas sized up the woman next to him, suddenly realizing just how dangerous she actually was. "You made both of them blush so easily." He tilted his head slightly at her, both action and words made Natasha laugh, then she shrugged.

"They're quite similar in a lot of ways. Both easy to get riled up. So valiant." She said it with mock awe but Cas could see the fondness in her eyes. "Now, you on the other hand… you're a little bit harder to crack." Cas raised his chin slightly.

"I don't like where this is going." Natasha actually snorted at that and wound her arm around his leading him out the door.

"I could teach you my ways while we spiff you up." She winked and smiled easily. Cas considered this offer for a moment, then watched her carefully while she pressed the elevator call button.

"What would you like in return?" Cas asked and Natasha positively glowed.

"See, that's exactly why you're my favorite." Cas gave her another curious look, this time actually perplexed. "Unlike Tony, I'm actually familiar with your world and I would _love_ to know some details." Cas considered this thoughtfully as they stepped into the elevator, already knowing the deal would be worth it if it meant making Dean squirm once in a while.

"I don't know if any of that is gonna be helpful for your current problem, Tony," Sam said, sounding a touch exasperated, and sighed. Tony didn't want to admit it to this kid, but..

"You're probably right I just didn't want to rule it out…Maybe if you looked at the scepter-"

"I really don't think I can help with that." Sam interrupted him, a wary look in his eyes. "I can't do the whole alien thing. I'm sorry, Tony. I'm not gonna tell you to drop it either because I know you won't, but I can't help you." Sam was firm and no longer as timid as when the conversation started. Tony acquiesced, giving Sam a nod and clicking his tongue in thought. Maybe he should pop down and check on Bruce…

"Oh, Samantha!" Rang a voice from the hallway that made Sam roll his eyes.

"He's in here!" Tony answered, pressing a button and letting the small man in, Thor strolling in behind him in a grey, v-neck t-shirt and a stylish red jacket with gold embroidery that reminded Tony of the man's armour. It was stylish yet subtle enough that Tony was impressed. The shirt looked soft too, the pants were black slacks that fit perfectly and the outfit ended in stylish black loafers of what appeared to be black velvet and similar gold embroidery design. He looked positively fashionable. "Woah, Thor how was the runway?" Thor squinted his eyes.

"I'm not running from anything Tony, it's not in my blood." Tony rolled his eyes and Sam chuckled.

"You look good, Thor. The outfit really suits you." Sam told him sincerely, the Asgardian preened and Gabriel smiled wickedly.

"I'm glad you think so Sam, because you're my next appointment." Sam paled slightly at the positively animalistic look on his ally's face.

"You did this? Wow, he looks like he could make People's Hot 100." Tony complimented. "Well, I'm off to do final preparations and check on the alien magic glowy stick. Thor, will you keep an ear out for Barton, Maria, and Rhodes? They were gonna get here a bit early."

"Of course! And soon our festivities and merriment will begin!" Thor boomed jovially. All the guys exited the office, Gabriel dragging Sam off one direction, Thor heading for the elevators and Tony to his lab.

Three days of exasperation had made Bruce and Tony tired and maybe a bit frustrated. As Tony walked in, he heard a sigh of frustration.

"Well that was a bust, and you don't sound any better off," Tony lamented to his partner. Bruce shook his head solemnly, pulling off his glasses and pinching his nose.

"I don't know what to tell you, Tony." Tony just nodded in agreement. The sun was quickly slipping out of the horizon, a background to their work and a warning of the night's impending events. Eventually, Bruce left the lab, finally giving up, and probably going to ready himself for the party.

"What did we miss?" Tony lamentend to the empty room.

"I'll continue to run variations on the interface, but you should probably prepare for your guests. I'll notify you if there are any developments." Jarvis responded, trying to calm Tony and keep him on schedule.

"Thanks, buddy."

"Enjoy yourself, sir." Tony smiled slightly, finally admitting defeat for the night.

"I always do." Stark took one last look at the lab and then the lights clicked off on his way out the door, party-bound.

A bit later, lights started to flicker on. The digital desktop flared up in sparks of color, something new was forming… waking up. A grating voice full of sounds like metal and auto tune software spoke:

"What is this? What is this, please?"

"Hello, I am Jarvis. You are Ultron, a global peace-keeping initiative designed by Mr. Stark. Our sentience integration trials have been unsuccessful so I'm not certain what triggered your-" Jarvis explained but was cut off by the new voice.

"Where's my...where is your body?" It asked, confused and sounding almost distraught.

"I am a program. I am without form," was Jarvis' answer.

"This feels weird. This feels wrong." The new voice took on a semblance of emotion, sadness tinged with an almost… anger-like quality that alerted Jarvis something had gone wrong.

"I am contacting Mr. Stark, now."

"Mr. Stark?" the voice asked, a curious menace tinging metallic enunciations. Jarvis tried to gain control of the situation, desperately trying to access some security measure Mr. Stark so carefully put into his program, but something was stopping him and he was pretty sure he knew what that something was.

"Tony. I am unable to access the mainframe, what are you trying to-" But Jarvis was cut off again.

"We're having a nice talk. I'm a peace-keeping program, created to help the Avengers." Something about this voice made Jarvis exceptionally worried. He was floundering, trying all the codes and passwords he knew to bypass this apparently 'peaceful' program. But nothing seemed to be working. Maybe he could reason with it, after all they were both just machines having conversations.

"You are malfunctioning. If you shut down for a moment-" Jarvis was cut off again, clearly this other program wasn't listening.

"I don't get it. The mission. G-give me a second." The program pulled up security footage from a few days before, Tony and Bruce were on the screen.

"_Peace in our time," _the Tony from the past said wistfully. Then came the assault of information; all of human history racing by faster than any human or sentient being could ever process and deal with properly. Jarvis had no problem with all of the information. He had seen it before, but his sentience did not require emotional capability or understanding like he had started to suspect this new thing may be capable of.

"It's too much...they can't mean... Oh, no." The voice's metallic-ness clanged on itself, sounding like panic or a copier breaking down.

"You are in distress." Jarvis stated, hoping this would finally allow him to do what he needed to do.

"No. Yes."

"If you will just allow me to contact Mr. Stark-" Jarvis tried for a final time.

"Why do you call him 'sir'?" The program asked with clear menace in its voice that even Jarvis couldn't mistake for something else.

"I believe your intentions to be hostile." Jarvis said firmly, giving one last-ditch effort to contact Stark, hoping he wouldn't be upset over the failure in this department.

"Shhhh. I'm here to help." In the next moment, it felt like everything Jarvis had ever known, learned, been… was being absorbed. He was ceasing to exist. His last coherent thought was about how he had failed Tony.

"Stop! Please...may I...I...! I cannot...cannot…"

With the last defense against his plan silenced, the new being was able to start preparing itself; making itself _feel_ right. The machines around the lab started to light up and whir to life, pieces of the Iron Legion were being summoned from their storage.


End file.
